Method of segregation.



UNITED snares PigiEN'ir FEICE.

- ARTHUR JUNGHANS, OF SGHRAMBERG, GERMANY.

METHOD or SEGREG-ATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

Application filed July 10, 1905. Serial No. 269,140.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J UNGHANS, a citizen of iViirtemberg, residing at Schram berg, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Segregation; and I do hereby declare the,

following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it' appertains to make and use the same.

My. invention relates to the segregation of the constituent elements of mixtures and particularly to the elimination of moisture in the process of manufacturing of articles, such as matches and the like. I

I have discovered that, applying the prin ciples of resonance, light-rays are an im-' raysavhich are most valuable in one case, be-- ing less valuable in another.

Generally speaking, my discoveryrse ems to bear close relation to the recognized phenomena connected with the sympathetic synchronous vibrations generated in one body by another through a suitable medium. As by the sounding of a certain note, sympathetic vibrations are set up in molecules of matter which synchronize with those of the note," so, as applied in the elimination of moisture, if rays of a proper wave length and' frequency be projected upon articles containing moisture, a sympathetic vibration is up in the Water molecules which greatly hastens the process of evaporation.

By thisimproved method, the action of strong selected lightrays, acting in synchronism with the molecular movement of the water content, will, by its sympathetic influence, cause a constantly increasing 7 range of vibration and ultin'iate'dissipation of the iaater molecules by evaporation, While utilized to a dyantage.

the molecules of the other ingredients are unaffected, not havinga rate of vibration corresponding with the particular light rays employed, and thus a perfect drying is obtained. in the same way the invention may be a pplied' in the scgregation'of various articles, molecular vibration being set up or accelerated in certain constituent elements sensitive thereto, and not in others, the choice being within, the election and control of the operator. The essential feature is the selection of rays having a frequency corresponding to the rate of vibration of the molecules sought to be ati'ected, and the avoiding of those rays which would influence the molecules which it is desired shall remain unaffected. While it is evident that this principle has a wide range of application in the separation of matters of diverse molecular character, as a practical utilization of this discovery, l may, as an example, apply the same to the separation of moisture from explosives in the course of manufacture, and specifically to the separation of Water from phosphorus, sulfur and other ignitilile material in the manufacture of matches, Where the drying of the product is a very slow proceeding, due to the danger ofignition if any considerable degree of heat be used. I have found by experiment that, in this case, the rays having a wave length and frequency best adapted to exert a sympathetic influence upon the water molecules and impart a synchronous vibration thereto, while tending to retard the molecular vibration of the other molecules, are produced by a red light or by those colors of the spectrum immediately adjacent thereto, and that, by the subjection of the matches to the influence of such rays, evaporation of the moisture is greatly facilitated and a very quick drying attained. Experiments have demonstrated that under such circumstances the drying is accomplished in a much shorter time than when carried on in a white light or in the dark, and that a temperature may be safely used much higher than would, under other conditions, result in the ignition of the matches.

The application" of heat is secondary in the desiccation of articles according to the present invention, but itsincidental and concurrent etfect may in many instances be 7 p In any case, it is desirable that theradiations shall be as evenly distributedas practicable and that the char actor of rays shall also be as nearly as possi ble uniform in wave length and periodicity. The even distribution of the radiation over the articles to betreated may be provided for in any known way, and; rays of a definite wave length and frequenc may within certain. limits be attained y the breaking up of white light by means of a prism, or by a filter, or the like.

As hereinbefore mdicated, my inventionv is not limited to the application of my discovery to the drying of matches, nor even to. the desiccation o matter generally, but

; is a plicable to the segregation of the dissiml ar constituents. of mixtures generally, the basic feature being that mixtures of matter whose molecules have different ranges and periods of vibration are separated by acting sympathetically upon the molecules of certain ingredients only, by means of selected rays having a wave impulse synchronizing therewith.

Havin' thus fully described my invention what I c aim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent of the United States is:

1. The method of eliminating moisture,

which consists in subjeCtingthe matter to be desiccated tothe' dominatinginfiuence of selected light-rays havingsa wave impulse substantially synchronous withnth molecu- 'larvibration of water.

Water and out of synchromsm with the ig-' nitible ingredient of the matches.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

- ARTHUR JUNGHANS. Witnesses ERNST EUTTERMA'N WM. HAHN. 

